BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has a wide range of physiological functions in skeletal and nonskeletal tissues which may play a role in many diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the recent evidence regarding the effects of Vitamin D on several health outcomes in women including breast cancer, ovarian and endometrial cancers, hypertension, and osteoporosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar databases through March 2016. We included the most current systematic reviews and meta-analyses assessing the associations of Vitamin D intake and/or serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels with the risk of incidence of breast cancer, ovarian and endometrial cancers, hypertension, and osteoporosis...

Autoantibodies to the angiotensin II (ANGII) type I receptor (AT1-AA) are associated with preeclampsia (PE). We found that Vitamin D supplementation reduced AT1-AA and blood pressure (MAP) in the RUPP rat model of PE. However, it was undetermined if the decrease in AT1-AA was the mechanism whereby Vitamin D lowered MAP or if it was through factors downstream of AT1-AA. Uterine artery resistance index, placental ET-1 and sFlt-1 are increased with AT1-AA induced hypertension and considered markers of PE in pregnant women...

RATIONALE: Prostacyclin-associated leg pain is a potentially debilitating adverse effect of prostacyclin therapy for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, to our knowledge, this entity has not been systematically studied. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinical features and metabolic risk factors for prostacyclinassociated leg pain. METHODS: At one academic medical center we assembled and analyzed a case series of patients with PAH and prostacyclin-associated leg pain...

BACKGROUND: Azadirachta indica is widely distributed in Africa, Asia and other tropical parts of the world. A.indica (AI) is traditionally used for the treatment of several conditions including cancer, hypertension, heart diseases and skin disorders. Intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion is a common pathway for many diseases and may lead to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and death. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the ameliorative effects of AI on intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion injury-induced cardiorenal dysfunction...

OBJECTIVES: Determine the prevalence and identify predictors of hypovitaminosis D in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); 2) correlate vitamin D levels with variables indicative of glycemic control and cardiovascular risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study with consecutive patients treated at a University Hospital's Endocrinology outpatient clinic located at 12°58'S latitude, between October 2012 and November 2013. Hypovitaminosis D was defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D < 30 ng/mL (chemiluminescence)...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Vitamin D deficiency is frequent in patients with cirrhosis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the relation of vitamin D status to portal hypertension, degree of liver dysfunction and survival. METHODS: Patients with cirrhosis who have been tested for 25-OH-vitamin D levels were retrospectively included. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as 25-OH-vitamin D levels <10 ng/ml. Child-Pugh score, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) and available hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) were recorded...

The definition and classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have evolved over time, but current international guidelines define this condition as decreased kidney function shown by glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of less than 60 mL/min per 1·73 m(2), or markers of kidney damage, or both, of at least 3 months duration, regardless of the underlying cause. Diabetes and hypertension are the main causes of CKD in all high-income and middle-income countries, and also in many low-income countries. Incidence, prevalence, and progression of CKD also vary within countries by ethnicity and social determinants of health, possibly through epigenetic influence...

Since it was discovered that UV radiation was the main environmental cause of skin cancer, primary prevention programs have been started. These programs advise to avoid exposure to sunlight. However, the question arises whether sun-shunning behaviour might have an effect on general health. During the last decades new favourable associations between sunlight and disease have been discovered. There is growing observational and experimental evidence that regular exposure to sunlight contributes to the prevention of colon-, breast-, prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple sclerosis, hypertension and diabetes...

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sarcopenia was associated with metabolic phenotype in subjects with and without obesity. METHODS: A total of 6,021 participants (2,592 men, 3,429 women) aged 30 to 93 years were assessed using data from the 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sarcopenia was defined as appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by weight (%) that is <1 SD below the sex-specific mean for young adults. Metabolically unhealthy was defined as ≥2 components of metabolic syndrome or the presence of hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure control by a systemic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Randomized controlled clinical trials were analyzed, which date from eight studies in databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Clinical trials, China Integrated Knowledge Resources Database and the Cochrane library. RESULTS: Total 917 patients from eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs), treatment with vitamin D for more than 3months were analyzed...

There is debate concerning the association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. As both hypertension and vitamin D deficiency are increasingly important public health concerns in China, we investigated these associations in 566 Macao residents. The aim was to investigate the association of serum 25OHD and PTH concentrations with CVD risk factors (hypertension, high pulse rate, abnormal blood lipids). The data were stratified by age, sex, and blood pressure (BP) medication use...

AIM: Deficiency of vitamin D is correlated with pre-eclampsia (PE), a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, and is characterized by angiogenic imbalance and inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation can restore the angiogenic balance and ameliorate inflammation in a rat model of PE. METHODS: PE was induced using l-nitroarginine methylester. Normal pregnant and PE-induced rats were supplemented with vitamin D on gestation days 14-19...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Emerging evidence suggests that low levels of vitamin D may be an important risk factor for multiple chronic diseases and mortality, but the evidence is mixed. Vitamin D levels are associated with sun exposure, diet, and metabolic status. One potential explanation for the lack of consistent findings amongst various studies is that low vitamin levels may be associated with poor diets or other risk factors that we were not adequately controlled for in different analyses...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is a seasonal variation in the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study of 60 306 eligible South Australian live-born singletons during 2007-2011 recorded in the South Australian Perinatal Statistics Collection (SAPSC) examined the incidence of GDM in relation to estimated date of conception (eDoC). Fourier series analysis was used to model seasonal trends...

OBJECTIVE: To establish the impact the chronic kidney disease stage has in the native vitamin D levels in patients not undergoing dialysis treatment. METHODS: A study performed in Manizales, Colombia, a city located 2,200 meters above sea level, without important stational variations. Patients with 18 years of age or more, with chronic kidney disease stages 2 to 5 and not undergoing dialysis treatment were recruited for this study. Demographic and anthropometric variations were evaluated as well as solar exposure, CKD etiology and laboratory variables related to bone and mineral diseases...

PURPOSE: The objective of this case-cohort study was to evaluate the relationship between maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentration and preeclampsia overall and by severity. METHODS: From an eligible cohort of 12,861 women who had serum banked from aneuploidy screening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1999 to 2010, we randomly sampled a subcohort of 2327 pregnancies and all remaining preeclampsia cases (n = 650 cases). Preeclampsia (defined as new-onset hypertension and proteinuria) and its mild and severe forms were identified using ICD-9 codes...

Several lines of evidence point to the association of vitamin D deficiency with the different components of metabolic syndrome. Yet, the effect of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic syndrome is not clearly elucidated. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that administration of vitamin D, either alone or in combination of metformin can improve metabolic and structural derangements associated with metabolic syndrome. Fifty wistar rats were randomly assigned to serve either as normal control (10 rats) or metabolic syndrome rats, by feeding them with a standard or a high fat diet (HFD), respectively...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of consumption of nattokinase on hypertension in a North American hypertensive population with associated genetic, dietary, and lifestyle factors. This is in extension of, and contrast to, previous studies on Asian populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm clinical study was performed to evaluate nattokinase (NSK-SD), a fermented soy extract nattō from which vitamin K2 has been removed...